EDC considers housing near Bklyn jail

The Economic Development Corporation is asking for proposals from developers to build up to 238,500 square feet of commercial and residential space around the Brooklyn House of Detention on Atlantic Avenue and Smith Street. Earlier this year, the city announced plans to reopen the jail, which has been closed for four years. The city believes that one or two buildings, each rising 10 or 15 stories, could be constructed adjacent to the jail, and that those buildings could possibly have residential, hotel or office space. “If we built bookend buildings, we could almost mask the House of Detention,” said Brooklyn borough president Marty Markowitz. The agency is also looking to expand the jail by 165,000 square feet and incorporate 27,000 square feet of retail into the structure as the city readies to reopen the prison. more [NYT]